About one in five people in Jackson County, Illinois, lives below the poverty line
In Jackson County, 20.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 81.9. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (27.4%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 82% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 72.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Jackson County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (6.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 72.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.0% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 70.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.5% · 202488th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.7% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability17.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,063 · 202488th percentile
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- 57.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.4% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.2% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people130.4 · 202551st percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Jackson County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Jackson County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.0% in 2012 to 18.8% in 2013.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18.5%
High on the chart: 19.4% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, Illinois.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest rise, from 54,878 in 1974 to 61,168 in 1979.
Jackson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1994 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 61,481 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County rose by about a fifth to 27,609, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 27,609. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.4% | 2024 20.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,799 | 2024 $52,063 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Jackson County's history
1810
William Boone and his indentured servant Peter mined coal from the Big Muddy River as early as 1810, Illinois' first coal mine. Wikipedia
1813
Conrad Will conducted large salt extraction operation using slave labor on Big Muddy River south of Murphysboro in 1813. Wikipedia
1816
Organized in 1816, ninth county in Illinois, carved from Randolph County on north and Johnson County on south. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in December 1957 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 61,522. The 2020 Census counted 52,974, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
2007
Lightning in March 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in May 2009 did $100 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A tornado in February 2017 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jackson County, in Illinois and Missouri, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jackson County ranks 5th of the seven; Union County is highest, at 35.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, IL | 82 | 16.4% | 35.0% |
| Jackson County, IL | 79 | 20.5% | 27.7% |
| Union County, IL | 55 | 17.2% | 35.6% |
| Williamson County, IL | 48 | 12.3% | 25.2% |
| Perry County, IL | 42 | 15.2% | 29.0% |
| Randolph County, IL | 40 | 14.7% | 30.3% |
| Perry County, MO | 28 | 11.5% | 27.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Jackson County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 20.5% in 2024, 3rd highest of 102 in Illinois (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Alexander County, at 24.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Jackson County ranks 5th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO)
Legal help website
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Jackson County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.